Everything Comes With A Price
by Little-Angry-Kitten
Summary: She hated him that much he knew. Now he needed a way to change that. My entry for the Dramione Couples Remix Fest. AU/OOC


**Title: ~Everything Comes With A Prize~**

**Author: Little Angry Kitten**

**Rating: K**

**Original Couple: Belle & Rumpelstiltskin**

**Word Count: 2.670**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling and ABC.**

**Summary: She hated him that much he knew. Now he needed a way to change that.**

**Warnings: Characters are a little OOC but nothing else.**

**Author's Note: This is my entry for the Dramione Remix Fest on LJ. Due to taking part on the fest very late this is my second short take on remixing the two couples. I'm working on a longer and better version that I hope will be posted soon. I'd like to thank my amazing beta for doing such a good work with this in such sort time. You are amazing CrazySue05!**

* * *

_**~Everything Comes with a prize~**_

His eyes traveled up and down her luscious body as he took in her peaceful sleeping form. She looked so cute in her bright red Gryffindor pajamas. He still couldn't believe that she was his. Never in a million years would Draco have thought that he would have a chance with Hermione Granger. They were the exact opposites, different friends, different upbringing, she was a muggleborn, he was a pureblood, she was the little miss perfect and he was the spoiled brat that liked to throw tantrums all the time. They even fought on opposite sides on the war; granted that wasn't the smartest move he ever made but it was another thing to add to the list.

Still, even though they were worlds apart, something brought them together. He owed it all to an enchanted mistletoe, a drunken night at Potter's house and a few episodes of a ridiculous (always in his opinion) TV show (was that what they called it?)Granger was obsessed with. But let's take it from the top; ironic as it was, Potter was the reason the two came together. It seemed that other than having a hero complex, the Chosen One liked to be a matchmaker too.

Draco will admit that he laughed the first time Potter walked into his office and offered to buy him lunch. Wouldn't you do the same if you were in his shoes? There he was, the boy he tormented for as long as could remember offering to buy him lunch. According to his words Harry was just tired of all this bullocks; he just wanted a fresh start. With everyone! So he did what he should have done that first time Draco offered to be his friend. At first it was just pure awkwardness, a snake among so many lions; it was a sight to be seen. The Weasley siblings seemed to be the ones that hated him more than anything and he couldn't blame them.

Strangely enough, alcohol was what solved their problems. That night they all discovered that everyone bore their own cross. Even though Ginny and Ron didn't have the money Draco did, they still had a loving family. They had memories from a house filled with people that loved each other, memories of holidays going wrong but still being the best and endless fights with siblings about the stupidest things. Those things in Draco's eyes were priceless. Not that his parents didn't love him but Malfoys weren't known for being affectionate. He left it all behind though, it was in the past and it did him no good to hold grudges.

As the months passed Draco found that he was actually accepted into the small group. Ginny even went as far as to offer him a spot in their private balcony for all the quidditch games they had tickets. You'd think that he had it easy right? Well not exactly, no one thought that Granger would be the one to blow up. He knew she wasn't comfortable with him being around but later realized that the problem was bigger than he thought.

_**~Everything comes with a prize~**_

Draco couldn't believe in his eyes. The always calm and collected Gryffindor's Princess, the ever strong willed female part of the Golden Trio, the brightest witch of her age had just lost her cool and was screaming her head off. He stood there frozen and unable to say anything to defend himself and quite frankly he didn't want to. When he decided to take up Potter's offer he was afraid of the Weasleys. His mind never wandered to the woman he tormented the most when they were back in school. For years he called her names, threw spells her way and screamed at her face how unworthy she was of magic. Somehow he thought that Granger being the forgiving person she was would let him off the hook.

"Did you really think that a shitty apology would make me forget everything?" She hissed bitterly. For some reason that cold look in her eyes made something inside him hurt, he wasn't quite sure what it was though. "Do you have any idea what you put me through? I was living in a hell for seven years! A hell I could not escape because you wouldn't let me. I always hoped that you would somehow spare me the pain for one day and focus on someone else. But no such luck, from the very first day of school till the very last you were there. Tormenting me for all you were worth." Her words were like a slap to him. He could actually feel the pain in her voice and in that moment Draco realized the extent of his acts. He realized how much of a foolish child he was.

"I-" Words weren't able to express what he was feeling at that moment. "Granger I-" She put a hand up and stopped whatever apology he would have made.

"Spare me the lies Malfoy." She snickered. "You are nothing but a coward that hides behind his mistakes and blames them on others. For you it's always your father or Voldemort or the pressure you were under because you had to uphold your reputation among your pureblood friends. Do you know what you really are? A bloody coward that offers nothing but pain. You weren't there when we needed you. You weren't there when we fought for our lives and you won't be there if we need to do it again." Her words lingered in his mind even hours after she left. Had his words caused so much hurt? Was he really that cruel?

For once Hermione Granger gave Draco Malfoy a taste of his own medicine. She made him see the monster that was locked within him.

_**~Everything comes with a prize~**_

For weeks after their little scene she kept avoiding him at any cost. As much as Hermione made clear she wanted no relationship with him Draco found himself more intrigued by her. He always thought she was brilliant, the girl was a genius and she was just a muggleborn. They always looked down on muggleborns because they supposedly didn't have the magic within them. Now though he could see the rubbish Voldemort fed them.

Draco tried to redeem himself, he tried to fix his mistakes but it meant nothing to her. Granger would not talk to him! He sent her letters apologizing, flowers, offered to help her with some problems she had at her work, went even as far as to donate money to S.P.E.W. He couldn't really remember when his obsession with Granger started. He always had a somewhat healthy respect for her, well not respect really, he just admired that she was the only one that stood up to him. So when she flat out rejected his apologies and the olive branch he extended, that admiration reached a whole new level. As the days passed and she paid him no mind, he made it a promise to himself to earn her forgiveness even if it was the last thing he would do. Funny thing how life turns out! If someone had told him a few years ago that he would chase after Granger he would have admitted the person to St. Mungo's.

Finally luck smiled on him at the Christmas party Potter was throwing and after sharing a bottle of firewhisky they end up laying on the couch side by side watching Once Upon A Time on the telly thing. He studied her through his drunken haze as her eyes never left the screen. She was beautiful that much he knew, though he had no idea what that meant. It was still a mystery to him when Granger started looking attractive to him. Maybe it was the fact that she was the only one unaffected by his so called handsomeness or that she actually could hold a decent conversation.

"You know," His grey eyes met hers as she rolled her head to the side. "Rumpelstiltskin is a little misunderstood. Everyone blamed him for everything going wrong since the show started. When in reality they brought their difficulties to themselves." Draco had no idea what she was bubbling about but he couldn't find inside him to stop her. "He never pushed them to make the choices they did, still he was the bad guy."

"Funny thing you would think that way Granger." He murmured taking a sip from his drink.

"Why?" Her question lingered between them for a moment.

"You give pardons to that character so easily even after what he has done but yet when it comes to me you refuse to even acknowledge me. To be honest, I at least tried to redeem myself and fix my mistakes. He on the other hand, even when that Belle-girl tried to rescue him he turned her down." A small smiled escaped her as Draco pouted and later she would blame it on the alcohol but for now that didn't matter. Her eyes bore into his as Draco waited for an answer.

"Rumpelstiltskin did not stomp all over me for seven years. That's why he is pardoned easily. When are you going to understand that nothing is easy in real life Malfoy? It will take more than your money to change my mind about you." He still had no idea what came over him at that moment but her lips were so close to his, they were a little bit drunk and there was mistletoe hanging over their heads after all. His lips collided with hers in a kiss that left him breathless and with a feeling of victory sweeping over him. The kiss was sweet and slow making his insides burn. It was short lived though as Hermione's hand came down hard against his cheek leaving an angry red mark behind.

_**~Everything comes with a prize~**_

By February, Draco was sure that he was in love with the witch. She for her part avoided him at any cost, if he thought she had tried it before he was wrong. She went as far as to take an extra long mission in order to make sure that Draco would have no access to her. Of course that might have had something to do with him bringing up the kiss they shared. He never backed down though, his mind was set on Granger and he would not give up until she was his. That's where Potter joined his team again and they put in motion the plan 'Making Granger a Malfoy'. Blasé came up with the name really even though Draco had to admit that he liked it quite a bit.

"So what do we do?" Draco was out of his mind. Nothing from the old tricks seemed to work with her. Flowers, chocolate, little kittens (even though she kept those ones). She just kept turning him down.

"I still can't see how you not being able to shag Granger is my problem." Blasé drawled from beside him. "She's just not into you man. It's time to let it go, Astoria fancies you very much you know." Draco threw a glare his way barely holding back a snarky comment.

"You can leave you know." He nodded towards the door. "No one invited you anyway!" Blasé had a bad habit of making himself at home in the Manor even if Draco hadn't invited him.

"That's it!" Harry's voice brought the two Slytherins out of their bickering. "Astoria is the answer to our prayers!"

_**~Everything comes with a prize~**_

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Draco fixed his tie for the hundredth time as his eyes met Harry's through the mirror. "I mean I'm trying to get her to go on a date with me not hate me more."

"Trust me Malfoy, I know Mione very well. All she needs is a little push. God knows she hasn't stopped talking about you since the Christmas party." Pride filled Draco at the thought that she was as affected by what happened as he was. " 'Malfoy this' and 'Malfoy that', and 'Can you believe what a prick he is'." The poor imitation of Hermione's voice by Harry caused Draco to dissolve into laughter. The plan was clear as the sky on a spring day; he would flirt a little bit with Astoria just to get Hermione worked up.

"You better be right Potter. If you screw this up Voldemort will have nothing on what I'm going to do to you!" Draco's bedroom door closed with a loud thud behind them as they moved downstairs where the Valentine's Day Party was held. Narcissa had really outdone herself this year. Everything was decorated in beautiful shades of red mixed with black. Everyone seemed to be having fun except one moody Slytherin that was sulking in a corner nursing a glass of fine firewhisky. Astoria had tried to get his attention a few times but when she saw that Draco wouldn't spare her even a glance, she moved to another pray. It was already past midnight and Granger was nowhere to be seen. Potter's master plan was all for nothing.

"Waiting on someone Malfoy?" A genuine smile spread over his face as her voice reached his ears. That night was only the start.

_**~Everything comes with a prize~**_

He knew it was creepy; his wife had pointed it out many times but he liked watching her sleep. She put him through hell and back but it was all worth it. All the Sunday brunches in the Burrow, the drinks every Friday with her friends, learning how to use all those muggle things; every single thing was worth having her here beside him. His mind traveled back to that Christmas night almost ten years. If it wasn't for that weird show and its messed up characters Draco would have never gotten his happy ending. As cheesy as that sounded!

"I told you to stop doing that." Hermione murmured, snuggling closer to his side. "It's creeping me out."

"How are you feeling?" His voice was soft as his fingers caressed her large bump.

"A little better but your daughter likes to torture me so I doubt it's going to last." Hermione's latest pregnancy had been hard on all of them. Her healer had put her on bed rest for the first four months of it and told her to not stress herself. His lips traced a path from her neck and pushed her pajama shirt up until her belly was showing.

"Are you giving mommy a hard time princess?" The baby gave a soft kick at her father's words as if letting him know how right he was. Pitter patter sounded through the hallway getting louder as the footsteps reached their bedroom door. They both smiled at the soft voices whispering before two figures burst through it. Scorpius and Lyra jumped up on the bed squealing and screaming asking their parents if they could open their Christmas presents. Draco sat back and watched as his kids dragged his wife to their living room, a small smile playing on his lips.

Have a Merry Christmas indeed!

_**~The End~**_

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are always welcome! **


End file.
